13 Nov, 2008
Abnormal Veggies
BRUSSELS -- Misshapen fruit and vegetables won a reprieve on Wednesday from the European Union as it scrapped rules banning overly curved, extra knobbly or oddly shaped produce from supermarket shelves.
Ending regulations on the size and shape of 26 types of fruit and vegetables, the European authorities killed off restrictions...
The rising cost of commodities also persuaded the European Commission that there was no point in throwing away food just because it looked strange.
As of July, when the changes go into force, these standards for the 26 products, as varied as peas and plums, will disappear. European shoppers will then be able to choose their produce whatever its appearance.
"This marks a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot," said Mariann Fischer Boel, European commissioner for agriculture, who argued that regulations were better left to market operators.
Article from the New York Times.
Jesus' comments in Matthew 15:10 were directed at the Pharisees who were concerned with the behavior of the Jesus' disciples, and confronted Jesus about it. They pointed out that the law required special preparation of food before eating, and Jesus' disciples weren't observing these laws.
In response, Jesus challenged their position. He reminded these religious people that it's not the food itself that needed to be clean, but rather their hearts that needed the washing. "Whatever goes into the mouth ... is expelled. But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart."
How can we connect God's Story scripture to our lives?
Jesus reminded us that if our hearts are full of sin -- evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander -- then our lives will be directly affected. We're dirty and in need of a good cleaning.
The truth is, we can't remove this sin on our own. The grace of Jesus is the only power that can remove the sin in our lives.
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin" (1 John 2:1-2).
We can't just clean up the outside our lives. Jesus doesn't want us to play games with Him or others that create the "illusion" of purity. Let's face it -- sin is sin -- and it can't be hidden. Any attempts at cleaning our outside appearance are in vain. And our hearts can't be cleaned on our own. Our only hope is to ask Christ to clean us from the inside out.
Are you caught in a sin that you keep repeating? Ask Jesus for help! Paul wrote it this way: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2).
It's possible that our friends may believe they must "clean up their act" before they come to Jesus. They think that Jesus won't welcome them into His family unless they first present themselves as perfect.
Here's some ideas for discussion with your friends: Be real about your successes AND failures ... especially your failures. Spare them of the unnecessary details, but allow your friends the joy of seeing you for who you really are -- a person who desperately needs Jesus.
The truth is, even as followers of Jesus, we're not perfect. We're desperately in need of our savior ... today. Let's not create the illusion of perfection. Instead, let's show our dependance on Jesus as the rescuer of our story.
It's so important to tell my friends how much I really need Jesus!
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